Icy Prison MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Icy Prison grants card advantage by potentially drawing a card when conditions are met.
  2. Instant speed play allows strategic flexibility and can disrupt opponent’s tactics.
  3. Despite its benefits, it’s crucial to be wary of its high mana cost and color specificity.

Text of card

When Icy Prison comes into play, remove target creature from the game. When Icy Prison leaves play, return that creature to play under its owner's control as though it were just summoned. During your upkeep, destroy Icy Prison. Any player may pay o3 to prevent this.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Icy Prison not only disrupts an opponent’s strategy by exiling a key creature, but it can also potentially draw you a card. This happens if the creature is returned to play and you manage to fulfill a specific condition. This gives you a decent chance to replace the Icy Prison in your hand, keeping your resources high.

Resource Acceleration: While Icy Prison doesn’t directly accelerate your resources in terms of mana, it can indirectly speed up your game plan. By freezing an opponent’s threat for a turn or more, you effectively gain ‘time’ – a resource that can be just as valuable as mana. This can allow you turn the tide in your favor while your opponent’s resources are temporarily tied down.

Instant Speed: The ability to play Icy Prison at instant speed gives you significant flexibility during gameplay. You can wait until the most opportune moment, such as in response to an opponent’s attack or end of their turn, to use Icy Prison. This element of surprise can shift the momentum in your favor and disrupt your opponent’s tactics.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Icy Prison demands a player to part with another card from their hand, which can deplete valuable resources and reduce hand advantage, especially detrimental in formats where every card matters.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of Icy Prison includes a requirement for blue mana, thus restricting it to decks that can produce this color, potentially limiting its versatility in multi-color decks that may struggle with consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost that competes with other impactful spells, Icy Prison’s economic value comes into question, particularly when considering its temporary nature and the extra conditions required for its activation and maintenance.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Icy Prison proves to be a flexible control option, able to adapt to various decks that might require temporary removal of threats on the board. With its ability to neutralize an opponent’s creature, it can swiftly turn the tides of the game.

Combo Potential: This card shines when paired with effects that allow you to untap it or reuse its ability, creating opportunities to lock down multiple targets or repeat the disrupting process.

Meta-Relevance: In a game environment where large creatures or combo pieces threaten to overrun the battlefield, Icy Prison serves as an efficient response tool, maintaining balance and giving you the upper hand against formidable setups.


How to beat

Icy Prison is an intriguing card that can take your opponents by surprise. The ability to incapacitate an opponent’s creature upon casting is a significant tactical advantage. But like any piece on the chessboard, it can be outmaneuvered. The first thing to note is that the creature isn’t removed permanently but can break free once its casting cost is paid. This nuance opens a window of strategy for dealing with it.

To trump Icy Prison, focus on amassing sufficient mana to liberate your creature, or employ spells that can remove enchantments or disrupt strategies that rely on enchantments. Cards like Disenchant or Krosan Grip can effectively dismantle the Prison. Utilizing counter spells when Icy Prison is played can prevent it from hitting the board altogether. Lastly, don’t overlook the all-important pacing of your game; sometimes, simply playing around the Prison by deploying less vital creatures as decoys can give you the upper hand. Flexibility and anticipation are key in turning this frosty obstacle into a mere bump in the road toward victory.


Cards like Icy Prison

Icy Prison is a unique card that offers players a way to neutralize threats temporarily on the battlefield. It’s similar to Frost Titan, which also has the ability to lock down opponents’ permanents. However, unlike Frost Titan, Icy Prison freezes a creature as it enters, and the freeze can potentially last indefinitely if the mana condition is not met.

Analogous in effect is Oubliette, a card that also exiles creatures temporarily, yet does so in a way that prevents any activated abilities from being a nuisance. On the contrary, Icy Prison allows activated abilities unless they’re mana abilities. Conversely, Delay is a card that temporarily suspends a spell, sharing the delay of action theme but applying it to spells rather than creatures.

Far from only delaying tactics, these cards represent strategic depth in Magic: The Gathering. Each presents its unique set of advantages, with Icy Prison standing out for its potential to indefinitely remove a creature from combat, given the right circumstances.

Frost Titan - MTG Card versions
Oubliette - MTG Card versions
Delay - MTG Card versions
Frost Titan - Magic 2011 (M11)
Oubliette - Arabian Nights (ARN)
Delay - Future Sight (FUT)

Cards similar to Icy Prison by color, type and mana cost

Copy Artifact - MTG Card versions
Invisibility - MTG Card versions
Power Leak - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Terrain - MTG Card versions
Creature Bond - MTG Card versions
Stasis - MTG Card versions
Lifetap - MTG Card versions
Power Artifact - MTG Card versions
Psychic Venom - MTG Card versions
Venarian Gold - MTG Card versions
Homarid Spawning Bed - MTG Card versions
Soar - MTG Card versions
Flooded Shoreline - MTG Card versions
Dance of Many - MTG Card versions
Teferi's Veil - MTG Card versions
Legacy's Allure - MTG Card versions
Chill - MTG Card versions
Buoyancy - MTG Card versions
Mana Maze - MTG Card versions
Psionic Gift - MTG Card versions
Copy Artifact - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Invisibility - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Power Leak - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Phantasmal Terrain - Invasion (INV)
Creature Bond - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Stasis - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Lifetap - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Power Artifact - Antiquities (ATQ)
Psychic Venom - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Venarian Gold - Legends (LEG)
Homarid Spawning Bed - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Soar - Mirage (MIR)
Flooded Shoreline - Visions (VIS)
Dance of Many - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Teferi's Veil - Weatherlight (WTH)
Legacy's Allure - Tempest (TMP)
Chill - Tempest (TMP)
Buoyancy - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Mana Maze - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Psionic Gift - Odyssey (ODY)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Icy Prison MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Masters Edition II, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Icy Prison and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Icy Prison Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 2008-09-22. Illustrated by Anson Maddocks.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11995-06-03Ice AgeICE 741993normalblackAnson Maddocks
22008-09-22Masters Edition IIME2 501997normalblackAnson Maddocks

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Icy Prison has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Icy Prison card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2008-10-01 If Icy Prison leaves the battlefield before its first ability has resolved, its third ability will trigger and do nothing. Then its first ability will resolve and exile the targeted creature forever.

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